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2014-01-26 - War On Black Manta: Casualties
The yacht upon which the fight was held was decorated with strings of raw exposed bulbs to light the deck making it easy to see everyone there. This wasn't just for the ease of the passengers aboard, but also for the armed guards that wore jet black suits as they watch both the waters and the occupants to ensure 'safety' on this dark night out on the lapping waters of the bay just beyond the reach of the Coast Guard. Bookies held audience standing atop upended milk crates to gain a bit of height to call out to those of the crowd informing of the upcoming fights and the odds on each while their own men stood around them to take the money and write out markers for the betting. Girls dressed in swimsuits and heels roam around carrying trays of beer bottles and not much else--This wasn't a lavish party but it was a well organized one, and beer was cheap and easy to pass out as the crowd begins to get geared up for a night of metahuman fights. Shimon Key, wearing a full length suede duster makes his entrance. He grabs a beer off a tray and shoulder his way through the crowd. He throws back the beer and drops the bottle. Mirrorshades hide his eyes when his black dreadlocks don't. He snarls, "You think you put my fighter on first? You think she is mere warm up? Pfah! We will show you all. Come Crush Grrl! Step up and show them your stuff!" He holds an arm out beckoning. With his free hand he snags a caviar hors d'ouerve. Aquaman . o 0 (Okay. Make it look good. If anything goes wrong and you need help yell using the mind link. Really I can cause havoc out of all proportion to my power set. Promise. Also there's six Atlantean subs inbound. Be safe. Even invulnerability doesn't work all the time.) Kara Zor-El thinks to Arthur, (Works a whole lot of the time, but okay. So... just take my time with it right? No one two three stuff until you find whatever you're looking for?) Kara's not in a swimsuit, but she might as well be with how little fabric is in that 'schoolgirl outfit' that she's wearing. She looks around. First time she's done an undercover mission sort of thing. Oddly enough she always thought if she did something like this, it would be for Batman or maybe that really creepy Question guy. Arthur wasn't the first guess for 'undercover operation.' Especially when he's dressed like Huggy Bear from that Starsky and Hutch TV show she saw a rerun of. You know. Except white. And Atlantean. Still... this did sort of look like it might be fun with the whole disguise thing. She heads to the 'fight area,' still wearing the coat, and only takes it off once she's about to head into the ring area. The ship had at one point been something other than what it looked--or perhaps it was designed to be more than it appeared to begin with. In the center of the main deck were a set of drop doors for loading cargo. This area had been converted into the ring itself on the lower inside of the deck to ensure that everyone up above had a perfect view of the fighters. A stairway constructed of metal grating led down into the fight area where it appeared only the fighters were allowed to go. There would be no help from their respective handlers if they even had someone to call for that purpose. A pair of guards stood near the stairs to ensure only the fighters went down. When Shimon Key begins to yell out their heads swivel toward him. The one on the right calls out, "Pipe down, all first timers start early. You prove you got the stuff and you get the bigger tickets." Even as he explains this he regards Kara approaching with that jacket and a grin. "Try not to get smooshed, honey." It's all he offers before allowing her down into the ring. On the other side was a large, burly woman with close cropped blonde hair that was as muscular as most of the men here. What she wore was nothing more than a pair of cammo pants and a bikini top that barely held her in check due to the layers up on layers of muscle she bore. "Fah, this be easy match," she determines in her thick Germanic accent as she grins toothLESSLY at the disguised Supergirl. Aquaman telepaths . o 0 (Okay Reezik ... report in. Any Manta subs around?) He looks on impassively at the pit and the guards around it. Their gear certainly seems Manta issued. He still fumes at her choice of clothing. She should have at least tied her hair back. Then again, teen of steel and all that. But on some level he still feels a little cowardly using a 17 year old girl to do the fighting. Not his way. He waits for Reezik, the dolphin to report on any doings under the waves. He also isn't used to that. (OOC: Current music for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-IWRmpefzE ) << No subs boss but fishies! Lots of fishies! >> Even for the King of the Sea, dolphins were rather simple minded for the most part. There were no signs of Manta's ships though--This particular boat had sailed without any apparent underwater backup. A figure on the upper deck that was manned by guards to overlook those below was perhaps familiar to Aquaman though--Cal Durham. He walks to the edge of the railing setting his hands up on it as he gazes down at the mass of people enjoying the evening and the fight about to begin below. It's he who watches, and he who the more experienced fighter glances up to looking for a sign to begin the fight. Cal waits a moment to allow the money to flow for a few more bets to ensure that they would be making a good profit on the evening. It's while Kara is blowing kisses to the rowdy crowd that Cal gives his signal to alert the bookies to cut off bets as well as for the fight to begin. Without warning the woman rushes at Kara yelling with a rage that was unexpected for someone unknown as she launches herself with fists swinging right for Kara's tiny stomach. "C'mere princess!" Kara Zor-El should really be paying more attention. She was planning a whole 'dodging the punches' thing to stretch it out, make it look like more of a fight. But no, she got into the whole crowd appeasement mode. Besides, in the WWF TV shows, there was always a bell that first rang! No bell rang - that was total cheating by the german toothless bikini musclegirl! Which would have been a problem for Kara... if said german toothless bikini musclegirl was hitting someone who did not have an invulnerable tummy. So Kara was not exactly prepared for getting punched and dint dodge, therefore letting ger- you know what, lets just call her Germi until we've gotten her name - Germi's fist slams into Kara's stomach and Kara stops blowing kisses, looks down at where she got hit, then says, more like a question than anything else, "Ow?" Aquaman crushes the bottle he holds in his hand, barely noticing it. He quickly let's his hand drop out of sight and begins moving through the crowd towards Durham. All traces of buffonery vanish. He's a king now and this is war. No sub means no Manta. Durham is the way to go. He just has to extract him alive. All the preparation seems to be for nothing. (OOC: Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zc40IZsovc) Germi glances down to her hand which is still held up against Kara's stomach. The look on her face is one of shock, surprise, and with eyes wide she lifts her head to stare at Kara wordlessly. The corners of her eyes twitch rapidly as the eyelids peel back further than should be humanly possible. It's not just the Germanic woman's eyes that twitch but her entire body trembles and shakes with those muscles tensing and distorting. "Ha. Ha... HA HAH HAH HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOoOOOOOOO!" Her head throws back with the off-key laughing that turns into a near howl. Every muscle twitches and jerks in 'Germi' until it seems she's growing in size. The toothless mouth is filled with elongated razor teeth when her smile widens past the breaking point of her jaw. It's this inhuman smile that she fixes on Kara while her once blue eyes shift to a golden hue. "A REEEEEEEEEaaaALLLL FIGHT!" The woman--Werewolf?--Or some similar looking creature booms out in glee lunging again for Kara with gaping maw snapping at the Kryptonian in spite of how it might break teeth. Cal for his part looks down with a mild flicker of panic crossing his face. Partially due to the sudden shift in Germi. Something tickles at the back of his mind though as 'wrong' in the crowd. The man moving toward the stairs is finally noticed causing him to call out to the guards, "Stop him!" while he whirls away to rush for the opposite end of the ship. Whoever that was they moved with purpose, and the girl below in the ring seemed like a sudden ringer. A super ringer. Kara Zor-El blinks when the woman starts transforming into some wolf creature. "Crap." The whole dodging thing seems a lot more important now. She'd gotten bitten before by a vampire and that DID hurt. So maybe this was a metahuman or a mutant but maybe Germi was a werewolf so, when Germi snaps at her, Kara brings up her hands to stop Germi from biting her, grabbing at its shoulders and pulling back, while putting her foot up into Germi's gut to flip her over and get some space between them! Kara scrambles to her feet and sees someone fleeing and figures to let Arthur know . o O (Arthur you didnt say there would be werewolves, you know! And someone's bolting. Not sure if I've been made or something) Hands grab for Arthur. One comes away with his black wig. Another grabs his collar causing the shirt to rip and revealing the gold armored tunic underneath. Arthur makes a sudden sharp movement and there is a ripping sound as the trident is freed from its hidden pocket inside the duster. The guards move back and one lone voice says, "Oh $#@!" Arthur throws the hands off him and races for the stairs torn between aiding Kara and racing after Durham. Finally he draws back his hand and hurls his trident at the deck before her feet. "Here, it can hurt magical beings!" Then he bolts after Durham. The guard left with Aquaman's wig in hand stares at it a single dumbfounded moment as the King of the Sea starts after Cal. The movement of the trident being thrown into the ring snaps his attention back. Aquaman was without his weapon. Spurred on with a sudden burst of confidence he lunges after Aquaman attempting to take advantage of this situation. Lifting his gun he doesn't shoot so much as bring it butt-end down toward the back of Aquaman's head attempting to stop him before he can make it up the stairs after Cal. He'd already made it to the first steps though meaning his aim is off but the gun comes down none the less. The two guards at the top of the stairs turn as one to point down toward Aquaman with guns that upon closer inspection weren't the bullet using sort--This was Black Manta equipment. The barrels light up with a spark as the lasers prep to fire. Cal has dashed back toward the rear of the ship calling out orders to the other assembled guards. "It's Aquaman! Stop him or kill him I don't care!" He calls out as he heads for the life boat to reach up and tear off the tarp covering it. It's not a lifeboat though. Instead what was mounted to the lifeboat hooks was a matte black jetski intended not for survival of passengers, but quick escape. He hauls himself up onto it revving the engine to life before it has even hit the water. The electronic winches are activated begining to lower it down slowly in his attempted escape. Kara's attack throws Germi off though she tucks and rolls. Much like any four legged animal she twists in such a way as to end up facing back toward her intended 'prey' with that toothy maw already snapping shut in irritation. The trident was there lodged in the ring blocking her way and she hears Aquaman's cry of it working on magical creatures. Snarling with rage she runs to the side at the fenced off edge of the ring to hit it, and rebound in a jump toward Kara trying to catch her BEFORE she gets the trident. It doesn't matter much at this point. With the cries from Cal that there was trouble the other Manta guards atop turn their guns down to the ring. The crowd begins to scream, a few jump overboard to escape the chaos, and they're allowed to do so. Instead the laser-gun weilding guards seem prepared to take out not only Kara, but also the other fighter, as they let loose with blast after blast of laser fire at the quick moving fighters. (OOC: Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKTpWi5itOM ) Kara Zor-El blinks and thinks . o O (wait so am I still holding back or not or doing what?). She sees the trident and sees the werewolf leaping at her. "Guessing not!" Then purses her lips together and blows at the werewolf mid-leap - a hurricane-level force of wind suddenly hitting the lycanthrope before it can reach her! THEN she grabs the trident as chaos starts erupting with people in the crowd jumping overboard and guards firing lasers at her (and probably Germi) Aquaman feels the heat of several near misses. His coat catches fire as burning holes appear in it. He doffs it and then makes a leap over the side. A jetski? He must be joking. He knows he won't get away. Something is nagging at him though. Reezik said lots of fish. Dolphins are far from stupid but their vocabulary is limited. Maybe he was trying tell him something was unusual in the water but didn't know the words. But he's already in the air and falling. The breath of wind from Kara knocks Germi back into the fence and right into the path of a few laser blasts. The smell of burnt fur and flesh sizzles up with a noxious odor. The werewolf goes down in a growling heap that twitches, and claws at the surface of the ring beneath her. Her body moves with each breath proving she's not dead though--just down for now. The guards redouble their efforts focusing just on Kara now with blast after blast of lasers that may do nothing to her but the suit was certainly in jeapoardy. Aquaman hits the water with a hard splash but contrary to his concern there is no minefield. Not out here in the open ocean where it might cause issue for the ship itself. What there /was/, was a distortion of sonar beneath the water. It disoriented the local fish into swimming in circles beneath the ship uncertain of where true north was as many navigated in this manner. It was meant as a deterent to underwater swimmers to buy some time for escape... as Cal was certainly trying. His jetski hadn't even hit the water yet though and does so only a moment after Aquaman himself has dove into the ocean. He revs the engine again and skirts off toward the darkness starting his escape. Kara Zor-El gasps at first. She was using super-breath instead of the trident or heat vision specifically so as to NOT kill anyone. Then breathes a sigh of relief when the werewolf is twitching and seems to still be alive. Sure she might be a ravenous, murderous werewolf wanting to gut her, but that doesnt mean Kara wants to kill her! Of course, she's now focused on people firing laser beams at her instead. Unlike the werewolf, the lasers don't have much of an effect on Kara as she scoops up Arthur's trident. Plus... costume damage! Even if no damage to the body under that costume - she already had an incident of running around on Earth naked and wasnt wanting a repeat! The Kryptonian teen's eyes glow red and she starts firing beams of heat at two of the guns firing on her, turning them red hot, before she flies up at the others. She grabs at one of their guns and squeezes the barrel closed, smirking at him and saying, "Perv." ... before she takes a forefinger and thumb to flick the guard in the head. Aquaman is overcome with vertigo for a few moments as he tries to get his bearings. His eyes spot Durham and the jetski and he focuses on closing the distance. What should be child's play is labor and then he spots Reezik intercepting the jetski. Durham is thrown from the jetski by the impact and Reezik screams in pain. The water fills with smokey pink tendrils as the dolphin sinks. A moment later Arthur has him and lifts him gently towards the surface. "Nonononononono ... " he mutters, Durham forgotten for a moment. Reezik groans and stirs a little. The water gets redder. <> Arthur says, <> <> Arthur Presses his head against the dolphin's side for a moment then lets the body fall away and sink. "Durham ... " he hisses into the water. Cal Durham was almost free. The disorienting affects of the sonar disruptor would hinder Aquaman. All he had to do was get out into the open sea, out into the darkness, just far enough away to meet up with Manta. It was the only shot he had. If it were anyone other than Aquaman the water would be his freedom but not with Aquaman so close by. Then something solid hits the ski sending it toppling forward and throwing Cal from it with the breath knocked from him. Toppling feet over head he slams into the water sinking momentarily himself before he regains his senses and sense of self-preservation to kick to the surface where air was. He breaks the surface, gasping for breath, only to turn seeking out the jet ski and instead finding Aquaman and... the blood covered dolphin. Cal's stomach sinks and for a moment he nearly does as well forgetting to tread water. "Is he... I didn't..." Didn't mean to. The look of pain that runs over his face is obvious as are the sudden breaths he takes watching the death of the dolphin. Tears well up in the man's eyes as he feels suddenly sick knowing he had caused this. It wasn't his goal to kill such creatures--That wasn't what he had signed up for. There were no words that could be offered though as Reezik passes away and Cal is left treading water knowing that death was on his hands. And that's when Cal begins to cry squeezing his eyes shut with a hand raised from the salt water to press the heel of his palm against one eye. A hand with rock hard fingers is suddenly at Cal Durham's throat squeezing. The sea king looks barely human as he says, "Yet you have no pity for my son. No remorse. I'm going to hold you under Durham. You're going to die gasping for breath." <> Aquaman looks past Durham and sees Gaga. The she dolphin shakes her head. <> That moment when something is about to happen you just have no control over, and know your doom is impending, comes over the faces of the guards. Their guns heat in their hands causing them to drop them with howls of pain and a quick slapping of hands against their thighs only to peel off the gloves that kept the heat locked in against their skin further. No sooner had they done this when Kara flies up to bend shut the barrel of another gun causing the man there to gape up at her. Instantly he drops the gun and holds up his hands deciding that this job was not good enough to get beaten up by someone who could shoot lasers from her eyes. "Not a perv ma'am I promise I like boys," he blurts out without even thinking of it. The majority of guards had descended below deck or even obtained jetskis of their own to try and escape. For now the remaining crowd had huddeled to one side of the ship staring at the fracas with whispers of "Supergirl?" uttered by a few. "Nah, not in that slutty outfit!" "Don't care if it is I'd still hit that." "We're going to be so arrested." Kara Zor-El is not telepathic and doesnt know the dolphin dying conversation going on - plus probably wouldnt know the backstory to it anyway. Besides, Kara's doing her own thing at the moment. She raises an eyebrow when the guard blurts out how he likes boys. "Ooookaaaaaaaaaaay. More info than I was asking for. She picks up the bent gun, telling the guard "Put your hands out." Assuming he does, she bends the gun around his hands like makeshift handcuffs. She then looks at the crowd, and specifically at the one who said 'I'd still hit that' and just shakes her head, murmuring to herself, "You couldnt 'hit that' with a sledgehammer.." before deciding to round up the other guards - starting with the ones trying to escape. She probably should give the trident back to Arthur first though... and takes a moment to look around to see where he went and if he caught the person who bolted. Aquaman feels tears well up in his eyes. "You're going with me to Atlantis. The people you harrassed will try you. You should give thanks to Gaga and Porm, good creatures who beg me for your life." <> Gaga says. She swims off. Arthur looks up at Kara with red eyes and says, "I have little stomach for war." The guard obediently does exactly what Kara asks only to end up with guncuffs. Then, having nothing else to do, he just shrugs and sits down. It wasn't as if he could run off right now. The other guards were easy enough to catch. There were a limited amount of jetskis to go around and much like the Titanic it lead to fighting over who got what. She's met with brawls among the guards trying to escape along with the bookies and other unsavory sorts who were trying the same. In the water Cal breathes again once he's allowed to do so. A single deep breath is taken, and he nods slowly at Aquaman. It takes him a moment to catch his breath but when he does he asks, quietly and solemnly, "... What were you talking about? What happened to your son?" Aquaman glares at Durham. "Manta killed him. Like you didn't know. Stop talking to me. You can have your say in Poseidonis." Kara Zor-El rolls her eyes as she sees people brawling to get the right to use the jetskis to escape. She whistles to get their attention and, with her eyes glowing red again, she lets free a beam of heat again, slicing through each of the jetskis. Then she announces, "Okay, now that no one can escape, everyone can wait for the police like good little criminals." Then looks over at Aquaman - he seems to have captured his guy as well.